Desperate to break the suffocating grip of eternal winter, the fae prince Varian summons the most powerful witches and fae to shatter the icy shroud around La Condamine, but no one wants to die for the prince’s cause. When he conscripts by force, they flock to Nithya, begging her to wrap her flawless illusions around their magic bracelets.

Nithya undermines Varian’s tyranny until she realizes there is more to him than the façade of a merciless dictator. Even so, she’s not the biggest traitor in the realm. The conspiracy that murdered Varian’s father now turns its malice and hatred against him. Nithya finds herself entangled in treachery, betrayal, and illusions far more entrapping than anything she can conjure.

The prize is the soul of a nation, and the price is everything she cherishes—including Varian’s love.